What are London boroughs doing?

London’s borough leaders have declared their commitment to tackling climate change.

The London Councils Leaders Committee which represents all of the capital’s local authorities, has added its support to a national pledge to address climate change.

The Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change is a commitment to develop greener policies across many areas, including waste disposal, energy provision and procurement.

Under the declaration, London Councils has also agreed to lead by example in encouraging businesses, firms and public bodies across the capital to become more environmentally friendly.

Improving the environment is a top priority for London’s boroughs. Recent council initiatives include more use of electric vehicles as part of council fleets, the provision of special energy saving packs for new homeowners, the promotion of cycling and other green forms of travel, and the installation of wind turbines to generate power for their buildings.

Further information:

http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/

Examples of specific Borough Initiatives:

London Borough of Islington

Islington launched a brand new Green Living Centre to provide residents with a one stop shop to make greener living easy in November 2007. The Centre is an inspiring visitor space with an interactive exhibition and experts on hand to provide tailored advice on everything about living sustainably – from how to get a grant for a solar panel to wildlife gardening tips. The Centre also incorporates planning and building control staff to answer queries about developing and refurbishing property.

The Centre was designed and delivered by a unique partnership between sustainable design firm Blustin Heath Design, and exhibition specialists KCA London, and is made from recycled, natural and low energy materials.

Islington was the first borough to set up a £3m Climate Change Fund just for local residents and organisations to fund renewable energy and sustainable transport projects.

Islington has also formed a Climate Change Partnership with other public sector organisations and businesses, who are committed to reduce their carbon emissions in the borough by 15% by 2010. Residents can now enter the Parnership’s Climate Challenge to save their 15% and match what the council and business are doing.

Islington was the first Borough to hold a referendum on green parking charges.

London Borough of Camden

For residents

The freephone Camden Energy Advice Helpline advises residents on energy saving tips, changing fuel supplier and schemes that help with the cost of heating, insulation and renewable energy measures. Camden currently provides grants of up to £5,000 for heating and insulation to qualifying homeowners and private tenants (Warmth for All grants, used to top up Government Warm Front grants wherever possible) and council tenants (Warm & Dry grant). The Council also provides grants for landlords for energy efficiency through the Landlord Grant and Eco-grants of up to £1,500 for renewable energy.

The Camden Renewable Energy Scheme (CRES) offers applicants a competitive green tariff, a welcome pack worth £30 and membership of an Eco club offering ongoing advice and support.

For Organisations

The Better Climate for Camden (BC4C) initiative is an LDA funded programme which focuses on reducing the carbon footprint of Camden businesses. BC4C offers free on-site consultations, bespoke recommendations reports and ongoing support to implement improvements. BC4C runs a number of events and workshops throughout the year and will be producing a series of case studies.

London Borough of Merton

The ‘Merton Rule’ planning policy

In February 2007 Merton won the Royal Town Planning Institute’s Silver Jubilee cup for what has become known as the ‘Merton Rule’. It started in 2000 when Merton became the first local authority in the UK to include a policy in its UDP that required new buildings to cut their CO2 emissions by at least 10% using on-site renewable energy equipment.

It should be considered as both an energy efficiency and renewable energy policy, because a developer will always try to minimise the amount of equipment needed to meet the 10% target by designing the most energy efficient building possible.

The Merton Rule has provided a stimulus for architects and engineers to develop the design and construction techniques needed to build zero-carbon homes by 2016. It is driving an exponential growth in the renewable energy industry and providing a secure financial framework for companies to invest into. This growth is also helping to create the economies of scale that will bring the cost of the equipment down to the point where it is realistically affordable for homeowners who might consider installing it in their homes.

This radical policy demonstrates the real power that local government has in combating climate change through energy efficient building design and decentralised energy systems.